One month down, eleven to go and February is looking to blow January out of the water. It’s bringing heartfelt family dramas, comedies, psychological thrillers, suspense-filled dramas, and so much more to theaters (with a few hitting VOD/digital the same day). Plus, a few Awards contenders are revisiting theaters (free ticket to Black Panther anyone?) in an effort to help general audiences get a sense of what the industry is touting as the best-of-the-best in the upcoming Oscars ceremony. So before you make your plans, look over this list of 20 films and buy your tickets now.
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February 1st
Piercing
Director: Nicolas Pesce.
Cast: Mia Wasikowska, Christoper Abbott, and Laia Costa.
From the director of The Eyes Of My Mother, Piercing marks another visceral chapter in Nicolas Pesce’s filmmaking career. A man kisses his wife and baby goodbye and seemingly heads away on business, with a plan to check into a hotel, call an escort service, and kill an unsuspecting prostitute.
Braid
Director: Mitzi Perione.
Cast: Madeline Brewer, Scott Cohen, Sarah Hey, and Imogen Waterhouse.
In Braid, two wanted women (Imogen Waterhouse, Sarah Hay) decide to rob their wealthy yet mentally unstable friend (Madeline Brewer) who lives in a fantasy world they all created as children. To take her money, the girls must take part in a deadly and perverse game of make believe throughout a sprawling yet decaying estate. As things become increasingly violent and hallucinatory, they realize that obtaining the money may be the least of their concerns.
Then Came You
Director: Peter Hutchings.
Cast: Asa Butterfield, Maisie Williams, Nina Dobrev, Tyler Hoechlin, David Koechner, Ken Jeong, and Peyton List.
A funny and poignant coming-of-age story celebrating the love for friendship, romance and life…
Then Came You is a sweet, uplifting tale that reminds us it’s not how long we live, but how we live the life we have, that matters. The film tells the story of Skye (Maisie Williams), a spunky teenager with a terminal illness who befriends Calvin (Asa Butterfield), a 19-year old hypochondriac who is afraid of his own shadow. Calvin helps Skye carry out her eccentric bucket list of things to do before she dies. In the process, he learns to confront and conquer his own fears, including falling in love with the beautiful, but seemingly untouchable, Izzy (Nina Dobrev).
Miss Bala
Director: Catherine Hardwicke.
Cast: Gina Rodriguez, Ismael Cruz Córdova, and Anthony Mackie.
Gloria (Gina Rodriguez) finds a power she never knew she had when she is drawn into a dangerous world of cross-border crime. Surviving will require all of her cunning, inventiveness, and strength.
Artic
Director: Joe Penna.
Cast: Mads Mikkelsen and Maria Thema Smáradóttir.
A man stranded in the Arctic after an airplane crash must decide whether to remain in the relative safety of his makeshift camp or to embark on a deadly trek through the unknown in hopes of making it out alive.
February 8th
The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part
Director: Mike Mitchell.
Cast: Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Charlie Day, Alison Brie, Nick Offerman, Tiffany Haddish, Stephanie Beatriz, Arturo Castro, Jadon Sand, Brooklynn Prince, Will Ferrell, and Maya Rudolph.
The much-anticipated sequel to the critically acclaimed, global box office phenomenon that started it all, The LEGO® Movie 2: The Second Part reunites the heroes of Bricksburg in an all new action-packed adventure to save their beloved city. It’s been five years since everything was awesome and the citizens are now facing a huge new threat: LEGO DUPLO® invaders from outer space, wrecking everything faster than it can be rebuilt.
The battle to defeat the invaders and restore harmony to the LEGO universe will take Emmet, Lucy, Batman and their friends to faraway, unexplored worlds, including a galaxy filled with fantastic planets, strange characters and catchy new songs. It will test their courage, creativity and Master Building skills, and reveal just how special they really are.
The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then the Bigfoot
Director: Robert D. Krzykowski.
Cast: Sam Elliott, Aidan Turner, Ron Livingston, Caitlin FitzGerald, Larry Miller, and Ellar Coltrane.
Since WWII, Calvin Barr (Sam Elliott) has lived with the secret that he was responsible for the assassination of Adolf Hitler. Now, decades later, the US government has called on him again for a new top-secret mission. Bigfoot has been living deep in the Canadian wilderness and is carrying a deadly plague that is now threatening to spread to the general population. Relying on the same skills that he honed during the war, Calvin must set out to save the free world yet again.
What Men Want
Director: Adam Shankman.
Cast: Taraji P. Henson, Aldis Hodge, Richard Roundtree, Wendi McLendon-Covey, and Tracy Morgan.
Ali Davis (Taraji P. Henson) is a successful sports agent who’s constantly boxed out by her male colleagues. When Ali is passed up for a well-deserved promotion, she questions what else she needs to do to succeed in a man’s world… until she gains the ability to hear men’s thoughts! With her newfound power, Ali looks to outsmart her colleagues as she races to sign the next basketball superstar, but the lengths she has to go to will put her relationship with her best friends and a potential new love interest (Aldis Hodge) to the test.
Cold Pursuit
Director: Hans Petter Moland.
Cast: Liam Neeson, Tom Bateman, Tom Jackson, Emmy Rossum, Domenick Lombardozzi, Julia Jones, John Doman, and Laura Dern.
Cold Pursuit, an action thriller infused with irreverent humor, stars Liam Neeson as Nels Coxman, a family man whose quiet life with his wife (Laura Dern) is upended following the mysterious death of their son. Nels’ search for justice turns into a vengeful hunt for Viking (Tom Bateman), a drug lord he believes is connected to the death. As one by one each of Viking’s associates “disappear,” Nels goes from upstanding citizen to ice-cold vigilante, letting nothing — and no one — get in his way.
The Prodigy
Director: Nicholas McCarthy.
Cast: Taylor Schilling and Jackson Robert Scott.
In her much-anticipated foray into the horror-thriller genre, Golden Globe and Emmy nominee Taylor Schilling stars in The Prodigy as Sarah, a mother whose young son Miles’ disturbing behavior signals that an evil, possibly supernatural force has overtaken him. Fearing for her family’s safety, Sarah must choose between her maternal instinct to love and protect Miles and a desperate need to investigate what – or who – is causing his dark turn. She is forced to look for answers in the past, taking the audience on a wild ride; one where the line between perception and reality becomes frighteningly blurry.
The Isle
Director: Matthew Butler Hart.
Cast: Conleth Hill, Alex Hassell, Fisayo Akinade, Tori Butler Hart, Alix Wilton Regan, and Graham Butler.
When three shipwrecked sailors land on an island abandoned except for four sole residents, one sailor starts to question what happened on the island. He must uncover the truth while he battles to save his own life and escape the isle’s clutches.
Everybody Knows
Director: Asghar Farhadi.
Cast: Penélope Cruz, Javier Bardem, and Ricardo Darín.
The film follows Laura (Penélope Cruz) on her travels from Argentina to her small home town in Spain for her sister’s wedding, bringing her two children along for the occasion. Amid the joyful reunion and festivities, the eldest daughter is abducted. In the tense days that follow, various family and community tensions surface and deeply hidden secrets are revealed.
Under the Eiffel Tower
Director: Archie Borders.
Cast: Matt Walsh, Judith Godreche, Reid Scott, David Wain, Michaela Watkins, Dylan Gelula, Gary Cole, and Ary Abittan.
Stuart (Matt Walsh) is having a mid-life crisis. After losing his job, tagging along on his best friends’ family vacation to Paris, and humiliating himself by proposing to their 24-year-old daughter, he teams up with Liam (Reid Scott), a self-proclaimed ladies’ man. The two head off to the French countryside where they soon cross paths with Louise (Judith Godrèche), a beautiful vineyard-owner. Love is on the horizon, but Stuart’s going to have to get past a few hurdles — and out of his own way — in order to find it in this romantic coming-of-middle-age comedy.
February 13th
Happy Death Day 2U
Director: Christopher Landon.
Cast: Jessica Rothe and Israel Broussard.
Jessica Rothe leads the returning cast of Happy Death Day 2U, the follow-up to Blumhouse’s surprise 2017 smash hit of riveting, repeating twists and comic turns. This time, our hero Tree Gelbman (Rothe) discovers that dying over and over was surprisingly easier than the dangers that lie ahead.
Birds of Passage
Director: Cristina Gallego & Ciro Guerra.
Cast: José Acosta, Natalia Reyes, Carmiña Martínez, John Narváez, Greider Meza, José Vicente Cote, Juan Bautista Martínez, Miguel Viera, and Sergio Coen.
From the Oscar-nominated team behind the genre-defying Embrace of the Serpent, comes an equally audacious saga centered on the Wayúu indigenous people during a crucial period in recent Colombian history.
Torn between his desire to become a powerful man and his duty to uphold his culture’s values, Rapayet (José Acosta) enters the drug trafficking business in the 1970s and finds quick success despite his tribe’s matriarch Ursula’s (Carmiña Martínez) disapproval. Ignoring ancient omens, Rapayet and his family get caught up in a conflict where honor is the highest currency and debts are paid with blood.
A sprawling epic about the erosion of tradition in pursuit of material wealth, Birds of Passage is a visually striking exploration of loyalty, greed, and the voracious nature of change.
Alita: Battle Angel
Director: Robert Rodriguez.
Cast: Rosa Salazar, Christoph Waltz, Jennifer Connelly, Mahershala Ali, Ed Skrein, Jackie Earle Haley, and Keean Johnson.
From visionary filmmakers James Cameron (Avatar) and Robert Rodriguez (Sin City), comes Alita: Battle Angel, an epic adventure of hope and empowerment. When Alita (Rosa Salazar) awakens with no memory of who she is in a future world she does not recognize, she is taken in by Ido (Christoph Waltz), a compassionate doctor who realizes that somewhere in this abandoned cyborg shell is the heart and soul of a young woman with an extraordinary past. As Alita learns to navigate her new life and the treacherous streets of Iron City, Ido tries to shield her from her mysterious history while her street-smart new friend Hugo (Keean Johnson) offers instead to help trigger her memories. But it is only when the deadly and corrupt forces that run the city come after Alita that she discovers a clue to her past – she has unique fighting abilities that those in power will stop at nothing to control. If she can stay out of their grasp, she could be the key to saving her friends, her family and the world she’s grown to love.
Isn’t It Romantic
Director: Todd Strauss-Schulson.
Cast: Rebel Wilson, Liam Hemsworth, Adam Devine, and Priyanka Chopra.
New York City architect Natalie works hard to get noticed at her job but is more likely to be asked to deliver coffee and bagels than to design the city’s next skyscraper. And if things weren’t bad enough, Natalie, a lifelong cynic when it comes to love, has an encounter with a mugger that renders her unconscious, waking to discover that her life has suddenly become her worst nightmare—a romantic comedy—and she is the leading lady.
February 22nd
Fighting With My Family
Director: Stephen Merchant.
Cast: Florence Pugh, Lena Headey, Nick Frost, Jack Lowden, with Vince Vaughn and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
Fighting With My Family is a heartwarming comedy based on the incredible true story of WWE Superstar Paige™. Born into a tight-knit wrestling family, Paige and her brother Zak are ecstatic when they get the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to try out for WWE. But when only Paige earns a spot in the competitive training program, she must leave her family and face this new, cut-throat world alone. Paige’s journey pushes her to dig deep, fight for her family, and ultimately prove to the world that what makes her different is the very thing that can make her a star.
How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
Director: Dean DeBlois.
Cast: Jay Baruchel, America Ferrera, Cate Blanchett, Kit Harrington, Craig Ferguson, and F. Murray Abraham.
From DreamWorks Animation comes a surprising tale about growing up, finding the courage to face the unknown…and how nothing can ever train you to let go. What began as an unlikely friendship between an adolescent Viking and a fearsome Night Fury dragon has become an epic adventure spanning their lives. Welcome to the most astonishing chapter of one of the most beloved animated franchises in film history: How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World.
Now chief and ruler of Berk alongside Astrid, Hiccup has created a gloriously chaotic dragon utopia. When the sudden appearance of female Light Fury coincides with the darkest threat their village has ever faced, Hiccup and Toothless must leave the only home they’ve known and journey to a hidden world thought only to exist in myth. As their true destines are revealed, dragon and rider will fight together—to the very ends of the Earth—to protect everything they’ve grown to treasure.
Run The Race
Director: Chris Dowling.
Cast: Tanner Stine, Evan Hofer, Kelsey Reinhardt, Mykelti Williamson, Frances Fisher, Mario Van Peebles, Kristoffer Polaha, and Eddie George.
In Run The Race, two desperate brothers sacrifice today for a better tomorrow.
Reeling from his mother’s death and his father’s abandonment, Zach, an All-State athlete, finds glory on the football field, working to earn a college scholarship and the brothers’ ticket out of town. When a devastating injury puts Zach—and his dreams—on the sidelines, David laces up his track cleats to salvage their future and point Zach toward hope.
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Categories: Coming Soon, Recommendation
wow can’t wait to watch the Alita Battle Angel movie, one of my favorite science fiction films. Thank you for information movie.
We hope you enjoy it! If you’re interested in our thoughts on “Alita”, make sure to check out the spoiler-free review: https://elementsofmadness.com/2019/02/10/alita-battle-angel/